Two easy salsa recipes

Salsas are served with pretty much everything in Mexico. Like the dance, they’re spicy, bold and good for the soul and with a dab of creativity, you can transform any of your favourite ingredients into your very own dip. To get the tastebuds ticking, try these cracker recipes for tomato salsa or bean and garlic salsa. Bueno.

salsas-for-nachos

Tomato salsa

Ingredients:

300g tomatoes (cherry or plum)
2 cloves of garlic, skin on
1 large chilli
½ white onion, finely chopped
Lime juice
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Method:
1. Heat a frying pan on medium to high heat and place the whole tomatoes, garlic cloves and chilli in the pan.
2. Turn every minute or so – you want a blackened skin on the tomatoes and chilli and the garlic to cook through.
3. Throw all of these ingredients into a pestle and mortar and pound away until you have a satisfyingly sloppy salsa.
4. Stir through the chopped onion, season with lime juice, salt and pepper. Two ticks, eh?

nachos-first

Bean and garlic salsa

Ingredients:

100g beans (black eye, black beans if you can find them)
2 star anise
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, bashed
1 tsp smoked paprika – we used La Dalia Sweet Smoked Spanish Paprika.
1 large chilli
1 tub (250g) crème fraiche

Method:

1. Begin the day before by soaking the beans in a large bowl of water.
2. The following day, place the beans, star anise, garlic and bay leaves in a large saucepan and cover with water.
3. Cook for 1½ hours, until cooked through (the cooking time of beans will depend on what type you use and how long they have been soaking).
4. Once cooked, drain the beans and place them in a blender.
5. Toast the chilli on an open flame until the skin has blackened and then add to the blender with paprika.
6. Blend to a paste then add the tub of crème fraiche.

bean-and-garlic-dip

Best served warmed up or at room temperature with a big platter of nachos.

Head this way for a simple guacamole recipe. 

With thanks to Jules Mercer for her beautiful recipes and styling.